Continued Review of Drought and CVP/SWP Operational Effects on Fish

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A Fish Agency Overview

SWRCB Meeting - December 15, 2015

Operation and Monitoring Actions

Conducted in 2015

• Smelt

• Temperature Management on the Sacramento River

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Smelt

• Longfin smelt – 2 year fish

– Migrate upstream to spawn in the late fall

– Peak spawning January through March

• Delta smelt – 1 year fish

– Migrate upstream to spawn in the fall

– Peak spawning March through Mid-May

• Smelt Monitoring (Survey Data)

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2015 Smelt Monitoring • Spring Kodiak Trawl (SKT)

– Targets adult Delta smelt – Samples from January to May

• Smelt Larva Survey (SLS) – Provides near real-time distribution data for Longfin smelt larvae – Surveys occur every two weeks January through March.

• 20-mm – Samples postlarval-juvenile (~ 20mm) Longfin and Delta smelt – Surveys start in March and end in June

• Summer Townet (STN) – June-August, juvenile Delta Smelt abundance and distribution.

• Fall Midwater Trawl (FMWT) – Samples from September through December. Captures sub adult Delta

smelt and adult Longfin smelt.

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2015 Index of Delta Smelt Relative Abundance from Spring Kodiak Trawl

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2015 Index of Delta Smelt Relative Abundance from 20-mm survey

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2015 Index of Delta Smelt Relative Abundance from Summer Townet Survey

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2015 FMWT September-October Fish Abundance

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2016 Smelt Monitoring

• December FMWT collected both Longfin and Delta smelt at index locations. – FMWT indices will be lowest on record for

both species.

• Similar to 2015, an additional SKT 2016 sampling event will be conducted in December.

• Early Warning Sampling began on November 30th.

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Temperature Management on the Sacramento River

• Temperature management is critical throughout egg/alevin incubation

• Winter-run peak spawning typically occurs in the Sacramento River in May and June

– Egg to fry emergence is ~80 days

• Fall-run peak spawning typically occurs in November in the Sacramento River

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Updated May 2015 Shasta Lake profiles and isothermobaths

Lake Shasta Isothermobaths as of 5/26/15 (Water

Temps in °F)

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• Target 57o F at Clear Creek (CCR)

• Maintain Keswick releases of 7,250 cfs

• Delay full side gate operation as long as possible

• Optimize temperature using real-time monitoring and decision making

• Increase water temperature monitoring

• Establish real-time Shasta/Keswick reservoir temperature profiles

• Install new upstream temperature gage location

• Deploy additional temperature sensors in river

• Increase redd monitoring

• Increase production and capacity at LSNF Hatchery

• Review temperature model for refinements

2015 Revised Sacramento River Temperature Management Plan (June 25, 2015)

Installation of TCD curtains

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Credit: Rachel Hallnan/University of Nevada, Reno

Lake Shasta Isothermobaths

as of 9/3/15 (Water Temps

in °F)

Temperature Deviations

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58°F

57°F

CCR comparison 2014 - 2015

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2015 Temperature Landscape and Redd Location

CCR

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2014 High Temperatures Throughout the Sacramento River

Temperature Variation

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Temperature variation (cont’d)

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Winter-run 2015 Sacramento River

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Flow Fluctuations Flow Interruption (7/26)

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3,400 cfs

Flow Fluctuations NERC Testing (8/10 -8/15)

960 cfs

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BY 2015 WR redds at 12” water depth or shallower

• 19 redds were found to be at a depth of 12” or shallower as of Aug 27 (@ 7,217 cfs)

• CDFW continued to monitor for redd dewatering and juvenile stranding

• no WR redds were dewatered this year

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A.C.I.D. Dam

Bella Vista (SAC)

Highway 44 Bridge

Clear Creek (CCR)

Proportion of WR spawning (Carcass survey) by date and year

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0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

100.0%

18-Apr 25-Apr 2-May 9-May 16-May 23-May 30-May 6-Jun 13-Jun 20-Jun 27-Jun 4-Jul 11-Jul 18-Jul 25-Jul 1-Aug 8-Aug 15-Aug 22-Aug

AVERAGE 2003 -2012 2013 2014 2015

Fish and Redd Location

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2015 Winter-Run aerial Redd counts by river area

Flight Sections Redds 2015 Percent % Average (2003-2014)

Keswick to A.C.I.D. Dam (RM 302 to 298) 74 37.8% 45.0%

A.C.I.D. Dam to Highway 44 Bridge (RM 296) 120 61.2% 42.1%

Highway 44 Br. to Airport Rd. Br. (RM 284) 2 1.0% 12.2%

Airport Rd. Br. to Balls Ferry Br. (RM 275) 0 0.0% 0.3%

Balls Ferry Br. to Battle Creek (RM 271) 0 0.0% 0.1%

Battle Creek to Tehama Br. (RM 229) 0 0.0% 0.3%

Total 196 100.0% 100%

[1] These two redds were located just downstream of the Hwy 44 Bridge close to rm 296.

2015 Winter-Run Carcass counts by river area

River Section Carcasses 2015 Percent % Average

(2003-2014)

Keswick Dam to ACID Dam (RM 302 to 298) 593 49.8% 35.4%

ACID Dam to Hwy 44 Brg (RM 296) 349 29.3% 39.6%

Hwy 44 Brg down to Clear Crk Powerlines (RM 288) 205 17.2% 21.8%

Clear Crk Pwrl to Balls Ferry Brg (RM 276) 44 3.7% 3.2%

Total 1191 100.0% 100.0%

Estimate of Juvenile Winter-Run Passage at RBDD

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Figure taken from USFWS Biweekly report (November 13, 2015 – December 2, 2015) 29

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eggs hatch fry emerge

48.0

50.0

52.0

54.0

56.0

58.0

60.0

62.0

64.0

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

23-Sep 7-Oct 21-Oct 4-Nov 18-Nov 2-Dec 16-Dec 30-Dec 13-Jan 27-Jan 10-Feb 24-Feb 9-Mar 23-Mar 6-Apr

Pe

rce

nt

of

po

pu

lati

on

Keswick (RM 302) released water temp

Balls Ferry (RM276) water temp

RBDD water temp

RM 243

Female spawners- eggs in redds

Tehema Brg water temp

RM 229

Note: Unlike winter-run, fall-run spawn from Keswick all the way downstream to Princeton (RM 160), so water temps can impact eggs/alevins at differing levels

Fall-run 2015 Sacramento River

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New Fish Disease Information in 2015 • Pilot effort started in summer/fall looking at possible

fish disease impacts in the Upper Sacramento River. • Late fall-run Chinook salmon:

– 90% infected with the parasite Ceratomyxa shasta (Cshasta).

– In the Klamath and Feather rivers, a higher infection rate for Cshasta has been associated with higher water temperatures and lower flows.

• Winter-run Chinook salmon: – 10% infected with Cshasta – 85% infected with kidney parasite that is an early indicator

of future infection with Cshasta – 95% infected with ich

• Additional study is required to better understand the extent and geographic scope of the impact.

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White Spot Disease

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2009 CVP/SWP Operations Opinion and RPA: Action I.2.1 Performance measures

• End of September Shasta carryover storage on a 10-year running average:

• 87% of years: Min 2.2 MAF

• 82% of years: Min 2.2 MAF and End

of April (EOA) storage of 3.8 MAF

• 40% of years: Min 3.2 MAF

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2009 CVP/SWP Operations Opinion and RPA: Action I.2.1 Performance measures

(cont’d)

• Temperature compliance point on a 10-year running average: – Meet Clear Creek Compliance point 95 percent of

time

– Meet Balls Ferry Compliance point 85 percent of time

– Meet Jelly’s Ferry Compliance point 40 percent of time

– Meet Bend Bridge Compliance point 15 percent of time

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Take Home Messages • Drought continues to have an effect on Smelt and

Salmonid species in the Delta and its tributaries • Given the continuing decline of Delta Smelt,

protective measures under the 2008 BiOp will need to be implemented, if conditions warrant.

• Winter-run broodyear 2016 will be the 3rd of three cohorts. The last 2 had very low survival.

• Improve management tools in order to meet temperature requirements on the Sacramento River

• LOBO annual review recommendations • 7DADM vs. daily average water temperatures • NMFS’ Opinion and RPA 37